Paper feeding and collating device



E. MARCUSON.

PAPER FEEDING AND COLLATING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 8, I920.

I 1 .2. 9 1T H OO 4 1 an Mn dw %2 m t a D1 E. MARCUSON.

PAPER FEEDING AND COLLATING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN-8,1920- Patented Mar. 8, 1921.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

an 02 11 m EZZdJHaI CUJOIQ W d btoz mc a jaw ELIAS MARCUSON, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

PAPER FEEDING AN D COLLATING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 8, 1921.

Application filed January 8, 1920. Serial No. 350,181.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ELIAS MARCUSON, a British subject, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Paper Feeding and Collating Devices; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to characters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

The present invention relates, generally, to improvements in paper feeding and collating devices; and the invention has reference, more particularly, to an improved means for bringing into desired grouped arrangement a plurality of sheets or elements ready for use. p

The invention has for its principal object to provide a very simple and efficient mechanism, easy of operation, and compact in form, adapted to bring together in desired properly assembled relation a plurality of paper; sheets or other similar elements, as, for example, typewriter paper with carbon and manifold sheets in a properly related grfoup ready for insertion in a typewriter machine, or, as a further example, a series of advertising sheets, circularsv or the like ready grouped for use or distribution.

Other objects of the present invention, not at this time more particularly enumerated, will be clearly understood from the following detailed description of the same.

-With the objects of the invention in view,

the same consists, primarily, in the novel construction of feeding and collating device hereinafter more fully set forth; and, the

. invention consists, furthermore, in the novel arrangements and combinations of the various devices and parts, as well as in the de tails of the construction, all of which will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

The invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating the novel feeding and collating "device made according to and embodying the principles of my present invention. Fig. 2 is a side view of the same, with ortions ofthe side walls broken away to isclose certain features of the internal operatingmechanism.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical section, taken on line 33 in Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a horizontal section, taken on line 4-4 in said Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section of a modified form of paper tray for use with the feeding and collating device. Fig. -6 is an enlarged detail view of one form and construction of paper impeller means.

Similar characters of reference are employed in all of the hereinabove described views, to indicate corresponding parts.

Referring now to said drawings, the reference-character 1 indicates a casing, of suitable dimensions, open at its forward end. Arranged in said casing are a plurality of horizontal shelves 2 which divide the interior of the casin into a plurality of compartments 3, disposed one above another. Mounted within the upper portion of each compartment 3 at one side thereof, and so as to be both -longitudinally slidable and rotatable axially in perforate supporting ears 4 which are secured to and project laterally from one side wall of each compartment, is a slide-bar 5. Each slide-bar 5 is provided at its outer end with a laterall and outwardly projecting portion 6, pre erably extending at right angles to the main body of each slide bar, said lateral portions each projecting through outwardly open cutaway portions 7 provided in the adjacent side wall of the casing 1 at the forward open end of each compartment 3. Formed in connection with each lateral portion 6 of'the slide-bars 5 is a forwardly projectin upwardly inclined cam-piece 8. Connecte with the exterior face of the casing side are horizontally projecting stoplugs 9, beneath which said cam-pieces 8 are normally engaged in the manner and for the purpose subsequently more particularly de-i scribed. Rigidly secured to each slide-bar 5, within each compartment 3, is an inwardl and laterally extending arm 10 of a lengt equal to about onerhalf the wldth of said compartments 3. Connected with the free end of each arm 10 is an adjustable an ularly related impeller member 11, pre erably in the form of a downwardly and forwardly projecting needlepoint.

The means for adjustably relating the said impeller members 11 to their res ective arms 10 comprises a split sleeve 12 a apted to be telescopically engaged over the end of the arm 10, the butt of the needle-point passin transversely through the outer end of sai inclination to which sleeve, and being retained in rigidly secured relation thereto by a set-screw 13 which screws into the outer end of said sleeve to holdin engagement with said needle-point butt. .he degree of downward and forward it is desired to adjust the impeller member is attained by turning the sleeve 12 axially upon the end of the arm 10, the gripping friction of the split end of the sleeve upon the end of the arm tending to securely hold the sleeve in any position to which it has been adjusted.

. Each compartment 3 is adapted to hold a pile of sheets differing in character of purpose from the sheets in the other compartments. The slide-bars 5 With their associated parts are adapted, when operated simultaneously, to eject one sheet from each compartment, so that the several ejected sheets are brought together for complete withdrawal in a desired predetermined collated relation. For example, in the illustration of m invention shown in the accompanying rawings, the upper compartment contains a pile of letter-heads 14 or the like,

the middle compartment contains a pile 0t said arm 23 having adjacent to its free end, a notch 24; in which 6.

levers,

of said housing carbon sheets 15, and the lower compartment contains a pile of copy or manifold sheets 16. When the slide-bars 5 and their associated parts, which provide the sheet ejecting means for the several compartments, are simultaneously operated, one sheet from each compartment is moved forwardly out of theopen ends of the latter, so that the ends of the sheets may be grasped by the operator and withdrawn completely in desired collated relation to each other, 11. c. with the letter-head on top, the manifold sheet on the bottom and the carbon sheet interposed properly between the former sheets, all ready to be inserted in a type-writer machine ready for use. The details of the manner in which said slide-bars 5 and their associated parts function when operatively moved will be subsequently more clearly described.

The means for simultaneously operating said slide-bars 5 comprises a housing 17 affixed to the. exterior of the side wall of said casing 1 adjacent to which the said slide-bars 5 are mounted. Pivotedwithin said housing 17 are a pair of parallel'levers 18 and 19. One of said levers, viz. the lever 18, is fixed to a rotary pivot-member 20 'ournaled in the exterior wall of said housmg 17. Connected ,with the exterior end of said rotary pivot-member 20 is a hand or manipulating lever 21. The other of said viz. thelever 19, is pivoted upon a fixed pivot 22, preferably secured to the wall 17. The said lever 18 is further provided with an upperarm 23 extending upwardly from its pivotal point;

and in its rearward edge, is seated .one end of a spring member 25,

' sired degree.

the opposite end of which gains fixed purchase or thrust by its engagement with the lower rearward end of said housing 17. Said spring member serves to maintain said levers 18 and 19 in and to return the same to normal initial position. Pivotally connected with and carried by the lower ends embracing operative relation to the lateral portions 6 of the respective slide-bars 5.

Connected with the rear exterior end of the housing 17 is a stop-projection 29, which is disposed in the path of operative movement of said hand or manipulating lever 21 to engage the same and limit or obstruct the operative movement of the same to the delln the event it is desired to render any one or more of the ejecting devices of the several compartments inoperative without disturbing the others, it is but necessary to disconnect the link or links 27 from operative relation to the same, whereupon such links 27 as are thus disconnected drop down upon supporting lugs 30pmvided at the forward end of said housing 17 beneath each link, so that said links ride upon said supporting lugs without effecting any movement of the particular ejecting devices from which they have been thus disconnected.

To operate the device the hand or manipulatin lever 21 is thrust rearward until en-- gage by the stop-projection 29. This movement of the lever 21. produces an outwardly swinging movement of the parallel levers 18 and 19, such movement being transmitted by the former lever 18" to the thrust block or plate 26, the latter being maintained in its perpendicular disposition by reason of the parallel movement of the latter lever 19, as will be understood from an inspection of Fig. 2 of the drawings. The forward movement of the thrust plate or block 26 thus induced is transmitted through the links 27 to the slide-bars 5. By this means the slidebars 5 are caused to move outwardly, first carrying away from the stop-lugs 9 their cam pieces 8 thus permitting the slide-bars to rotate axially by reason of the weight of the laterall extending arms 10, so that the latter swing ownward, thereby carrying the impeller members 11 into contact with the top sheet in each compartment, all as indicated by the dotted representation of the parts referred to shownin Figs. 1, 2 and 3 of the drawings. The sharp-pointed downwardly and forwardly inclined impeller members 11 press lightly into the upper surface of the links 27, provided adjacent to their .sitions.

top sheet in each compartment, being lightly but firmly held in such engaging relation merely by the weight of the downwardly dropped lateral arms 10, so that as the slidebars continue their outward movement to the stopping limit thereof, the impeller members impel forwardly the said top sheets to simultaneously and equally project the forward ends of the same out of the open ends of their respective compartments, so that the several sheets may be easily grasped and withdrawn from the compartments to arrange themselves in the desired collated relation.

Nhen the hand or manipulating lever 21 is released the spring member 25 returns the same, together with all the above described elements actuated thereby, to normal initial position. In returning to normal initial position, the slide-bars 5 are retracted, and the sharpened free ends of the impeller members 11, by reason of their forward and downward inclination, when dragged backward, are released from operative relation to the forwardly propelled top sheets, and ride lightly over the surface thereof back to initial po- When during the retractive movement of the slide-bars 5, the cam-pieces 8 thereof ride under the stop-lugs 9, the said cam-pieces are depressed, the downward movement so imparted being transmitted through lateral portions 6 to cause a reversed axial rotation of the slidebars, which in turn lifts back to normal position the laterally extending arms 10 and the impeller members 11 connected therewith.

When the device is employed to feed and collate very thin sheets, such, for example, as carbon paper sheets, the impeller member may be provided adjacent to its point with a stop-collar 31, as shown more clearly in Fig. 6 of the drawings. 31 is so related to the point that it guards the same against digging too deeply into the thin sheet, and assures that only the top sheet of the pile will be engaged and propelled forward under ment of the impeller member.

in handling thin sheets, such as carbon paper, particularly when introducing a pile of the same int the compartment therefor, it is of advantage to have the sheets supported by a rigid or non-flexible device, such, for example, as that afforded by the stiff card-board trays 32 illustrated in the drawing-s. When half sized or odd sized sheets are employed trays 32 may be provided therefor equipped with suitably positioned registering stops 33, as shown in'Fig; 5 of the drawings.

When my device is employed for typewrit ng papers it is also of advantage to provide on its upper or top side an open shelf 34, surrounded on its rear and longitudinal sides with an upstanding rail or flange 35.

The saidstop-collar the operative move- Upon this open shelf 34 is placed a tray 32. When the paper, carbon and manifold sheets are removed from the device and used, the carbon sheets after use may be deposited upon the tray 32 supported by said open shelf 34 until a pile thereof has been accumulated, whereupon the tray with the accumulated pile may be removed from the open shelf and reintroduced or returned into the carbon sheet compartment.

It may be desired to arrange my novel paper feeding and collating device in a typewriter desk drawer, in which event, I have found it well to so connect the hand or manipulating lever 21 with the operating mechanism, so that the same may be turned down to the dotted position X shown in Fig. 1, thus turning the same out of the way, or removed from upwardly projecting position, so as not to interfere with the closing of the drawer of the desk in which the device is arranged. In such case, the hand or manipulating lever 21 is mounted in connection with the rotary pivot member so as to be capable of a limited forward turning movement thereon without imparting movement to the pivot member, but which when rearwardly turned to normal upwardly projecting osition is so engaged with said pivot memher 20, that further rearward turning movement of the lever 21 will be transmitted to said pivot member.

While, for the purposes of description and illustration, I have shown my device possessed of but three compartments 3, it will be readily apparent that the number of such compartments may be increased as may be desired, or, that several of my plural comartment devices may be coupled together or simultaneous operation. It will also be readily understood that my device is not limited for use in connection with type- F writer papers, but may be employed for many other purposes such, 6. q., as collating a plurality of advertising circulars ready for insertion in mailing covers, or for direct distribution; feeding and collating printed sheets and pamphlets ready for binding;

and for numerous other uses in which the desideratum is the bringing together into a predetermined and desired arrangement a plurality of assorted or difi'erent sheets or element I am aware that some changes may be made in the general arrangements and combinations of the devices and parts of my present invention, as well as in the details of the construction of said parts without departing from the scope of my invention as set forth in the foregoing specification and as defined in the appended claims. Hence, I do not limit my invention to the exact arrangements and combinations of the devices and parts as described insaid specifi cation, nor do I confine myself to the exact details of the constructionof said parts as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. I claim i r 1. In a device'of the kind described, afcasing having a plurality of open ended compartments each adapted to contain a pile of end of each laterally extending arm sheets, an outwardly movable ejector means atone side of each compartment, each ejector means including a laterally extending arm provided with an impeller means at its free end, means holding said arms and their impeller means raised out of operative position when said ejector means are in normal retracted position but adaptedto drop said arms and impeller means into operative engagement with the sheets to be delivered upon initiation of outward sliding movement of said ejector means, and means for simultaneously producing operative out: ward movement of said ejector means.

2. In a device of the kind described, a casing having a plurality of open ended compartments each adapted to contain a pile of sheets, longitudinally movable slidebars at one side of each compartment, each slide-bar having a laterally extending arm reaching partially across the pile of sheets, an impeller member connected with the free adapted to engage and propel outwardly the top sheet in each compartment, means for normally positioning each slide-bar to hold said laterally extending arms and impeller members thereof raised out of operativeposition but adapted upon initiation of outward sliding movement of said slide-bars to permit axial rotation of said slide-bars thereby permitting said laterally extending arms to drop downward to carry said impeller members into operative engagement with said top sheets of said compartments, and means for simultaneously producing operative outward sliding movements of said slide-bars.

3. In a device ofthekind described, a casing having a plurality of open ended compartments each ada ted to contain a pile of sheets, longitudinal y movable slide-bars at one side of each compartment, each slidebar having a laterally extending arm reaching partially across the pile of sheets, an impeller member connected with the free end of each laterally extending arm adapted to engage and propel loutwardly the top' sheet in each compartment; means for normally positioning each slide-bar to hold said laterally extending arms and impeller members thereof raised out of operative position but adapted upon initiation of outward sliding movement of said slide-bars to permit axial rotation of said slide-bars thereby permitting said laterally extending arms to drop downward to carry said impeller members into operative engagement with said top sheets of said compartments, and means her for engaging and the top sheet in each depressed thereby so as for simultaneously producing operative outward sliding movements of said slide-bars comprising a perpendicular thrust plate, pivoted parallel levers supporting said thrust plate for forward movement, a hand lever connected with said parallel levers for operating the same, spring means for returning said parallel levers and thrust plate to normal initial position, and links pivoted to said thrust plate having their forward ends respectively connected with said slidebar's.

d. n a device of the kind described, a

casing having a plurality of open ended compartments each adapted to contain a pile of sheets, longitudinally movable ejector devices in each compartment, each ejector device having an impeller means in'the same, spring means "for returning said parallel levers and thrust-plate to normal initial position, and links pivoted to said thrust plate having their forward ends respectively connected with said slide-bars.

5. In a device of the kind described, a casing having a plurality of open ended compartments each adapted to contain a pile of sheets, longitudinally movable slide-bars at one side of each compartment, each slide-bar having a laterally extending arm reaching partially across the pile of sheets, an impeller member in the form of a downwardly and forwardly inclined shar -pointed memprope ling outwardly compartment, means for adjustably connecting said impeller members respectively with said laterally extendin arms of said slide-bars, the forward end 0 each slide-bar'having an outwardl turned lateral portion, ing upwardly inclined cam-piece connected with the outer end of each lateral ortion,

said casing having stop-lugs beneat which said cam-pieces are normally engaged to be to axially rotate said slide-bars to raise said laterally extending arms and their impeller members when said slide-bars are in retracted normal initial position, and meansv for simultaneously producing outward sliding movements of said slide-bars.

6. In a device of the kind described, a casing having a plurality of open ended compartments each adapted to contain a pile, of

sheets, longitudinally movable slide bars at one side of each compartment, each slide.-

a forwardly extend:

bar having a laterally extending arm reaching partially across the pile of sheets, an impeller member in the form of a downwarclly and forwardly inclined sharp-pointed member for engaging and propelling outwardly the top sheet in each compartment, means for adjustably connecting said impeller members respectively with said laterally extending arms of said slide-bars, the

forward end of each slide-barhaving an outwardly turned lateral portion, a forwardly extending upwardly inclined campiece connected with the outer end of each lateral portion, said casing having stop-lugs beneath which said cam-pieces are normally engaged to be depressed thereby so as to axially rotate said slide-bars to raise said laterally extending arms and their impeller members when said slide-bars are in retract ed normal initial position, and means for simultaneously producing outward sliding movements of said slide-bars, comprising a perpendicular thrust-plate, pivoted parallel levers supporting said thrust plate for for ward movement, a hand lever fixed to the rotatable pivot of one of said parallel levers for operating the same, stop means for limiting the operative movement of said hand lever, spring means for returning said parallel levers and thrust-plate to normal initial position, and links pivoted to said thrust plate having their forward ends respectively engaged with the lateral portions of said slide-bars.

7. In a device of the kind described, a'casing having 'a-plurality of open ended compartments each adapted to contain a pile of sheets, a removable fiat tray for supporting a pile ofsheets to introduce the same into a compartment of said casing, movable ejector devices in each compartment, each ejec tor device having an impeller means for engaging and propelling outwardly the top sheet in each compartment, and means for simultaneously operating said ejector dev1ces..

8. In a device of the kind described, a casing having a plurality of open ended compartments eachadapted to contain a pile of sheets, a removable tray for supporting a pile of sheets to introduce the same into a compartment of said casing, movable ejector devices in each compartment, each ejector device having an impeller means for engaging and propelling outwardly the top sheet in each compartment, means for simultaneously operatin said ejector devices, the upper side of sai casing providing an open shelf to receive certain sheets after the same have been used, and an upstanding flange ed member,

surrounding the rear and longitudinal sides of said open shelf.

9. In a device of the kind described, a casing having a plurality of open ended compartments each adapted to contain a pile of sheets, movable ejector devices in each com- 10. In a device of the kind described, the

combination with the ejector devices thereof of impeller members each comprising a sleeve having a split end to frictionally embrace a portion of an ejector device so as to be adjustable axially thereon, a sharp pointed member having its butt fixed transversely in the outer end of said sleeve, and means for securing said sharp pointed member in said fixed relation to said sleeve, axial adjustment of said sleeve serving to determine the desired operative angle of downward and forward inclinatio-n'of said pointed member.

11. In a device of the kind described, the combination with the ejector devices thereof of impeller members each comprising a sleeve having a split end to frictionally embrace a portion of an ejector device so as to be adjustable axially thereon, a sharp pointed member having its butt fixed transversely in the outer end ofsaid sleeve, means for securing said sharp pointed member in said fixed relation to said sleeve, axial adjustment of said sleeve servin to determine the desired operative ang e of down ward and forward inclination of said pointsaid pointed member being further provided adjacent to its sharp free end with an annular stop-portion.

12. In a device of the kind described, the combination with an ejector device thereof of an impeller member in the form of a downwardly and forwardly inclined sharp pointed member, said pointed member being further provided adjacent its sharp free end with an annular stop portion, r

In testimony, that I claim the invention 

